


The Green Fire

by ambaila



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Military AU, Modern Day, NaNoWriMo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 18:16:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21286049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambaila/pseuds/ambaila
Summary: Jaime Lannister had been an agent for years. He knew everything he had to teach Brienne of Tarth who was still learning. She had the ambition. Together they would find the green fire.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Podrick Payne & Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	The Green Fire

If she were to write home about her current situation Brienne of Tarth would liken it to being a fish in a fish bowl. Currently, she was the only one sitting in a room that was made of purely glass. The door was glass, with a handprint datapad that granted access. The desk was wooden and long, with high back metal chairs with wheels on the feet. The lights were bright and if she had to guess, by the panel near the door, she would be able to dim them ever the slightest. 

It had been five years since she first stepped into the Castlery Rock Interrogation Bureau. The palace, the interior was gutted and remodeled, had four floors. Each having its own conference room and six billets. The main kitchen was on the ground floor, but each floor had their own bathroom and half kitchen, which was big enough to heat up some leftovers or coffee. On the top floor was the secured computer lab which held 30 cubicles, each with two computers. 

Brienne was sitting on the fourth floor. Her old floor. The one she first moved into when she came to the C.R.I.B, and the last floor before she moved. Her move came in the not too recent past. Not a call she wanted to make, but a call she had to make. For safety reasons. 

“Sorry for the wait,” A young man said. 

Brienne smirked. The young man was Podrick Payne; he was a protege of sorts. The suit and tie, along with the slacks, was the exact outfit the Agency wanted. He had a folder in his hand and a small book that he opened. The click of his pen captured her attention. 

“How are you Pod?” 

“Good ma’am,” Podrick said, ever the polite man. 

There was something else within him though. He sat straighter now, after years of him telling him to do so. His eyes were focused on the file in front of him, a docket on her, no doubt. When she left, they would have had to do a report on her work and her ethic. The report would detail the events leading up to her departure and the reasoning for it in her own words. 

It had nothing to do with the people she worked with. It was because of the people she worked with in the past. Which was a strange statement to make. She loved the environment she worked in. The way her life had been altered because of it. She made lifelong relationships that meant the world to her. It was in their best interest and hers to quietly depart from the Agency. 

“You are from Tarth,” Podrick began, as if he didn’t know. 

“I am.” 

“Your first assignment were the Starks?” 

“Baratheon. Renly. I was assigned to Renly Baratheon and then the Starks,” Brienne corrected. 

“It was the Stark’s who sent you to Casterly, correct?” 

“You know it is.” 

Whatever this was was slowly beginning to make her nervous. This wasn’t the Podrick who had joined her nearly orphaned. Her Podrick had a tongue that was sarcastic. He made his point quickly and efficiently. 

“I’ll be right back,” Podrick said, pushing his chair back and leaving the room. 

Once again she was in the fish bowl with people from time to time walking by and staring. She was used to the wondered look in people’s eyes. Not knowing who she was. Growing up she was always expected to explain why she was so tall. With a line of people in her family who were tall, it only made sense that she too were tall. 

Athletics weren’t something she looked forward to while she was in HIgh School. She participated in the weekly rotation and wasn’t always picked last for teams. More often than not she was made fun of because of her stature and not necessarily because of her capabilities as a player. She fared well during track; long distances were easier for her than short bursts of speed, but she learned how to deal with it. Boxing was something she enjoyed, it allowed her to take out her agressions and it supplemented the need for Physical activity when it came to grades. 

When she got older she maintained a routine that incorporated miles of running and boxing. It was around then that she went to Winterfell. She would run the length of the property in the morning, before the sun came up, and then would box at night. 

Winterfell was built much like Casterly; a multi storied castle that had various floors for various teams. Winterfell dealt with missions regarding the North. Rarely did they ride south for many missions, but in the decade Brienne worked for the C.R.I.B. - she had seen the Starks around and near almost every mission she was in on. It was never just one of them. They always seem to work in pairs. 

Podrick returned with a young girl who Brienne hadn’t seen, nor met. She was small in stature and her eyes were bright green. A radiant smile that brightened up her entire face. 

She sat where Podrick had sat and Podrick stood. Again, this interview, or whatever it was, set off a warning in her mind. Podrick stood straight now, when he always used to stand with a bit of a curve. He wasn’t armed, but his thumb was tucked into the loop of his belt where the holder would go. At least that hadn’t changed.

Brienne would find herself doing the same thing. Going to make sure her weapon was still at her hip, with the safety locked. 

“Apologies for the wait,” the young girl said. “My name is Meera. I’m one of the newest agents here in Casterly Rock.” 

“Congratulations,” Brienne offered. 

“Thank you,” she said and it was honest.

Meera was young. But they were all at a point. Eager to start their lives as Westeros’ best agents. Dispatched to the 6 different parts of the map based on their expertise and capabilities. Casterly was an Interrogation branch. Traveling was necessary, always and forever, some would say.

Brienne hadn’t gone to the N.W.B., otherwise known as the Night’s Watch Bureau. But she had heard of the men who moved in the dead of night to protect the other bureaus. Rumors were that they weren’t able to leave, but because of their skill sets no one could argue if they had left. 

“How long did you work here?” Meera asked. “Your name is on the tongue of everyone in the halls today.”

“Five years,” Brienne said honestly. 

“And altogether in the Agency?” 

“Ten,” she said. “The mandatory year of training, two years with the Baratheons, and then a year and a half with the Starks.” 

“What did you do for the Starks?” 

“Gathered intelligence, mostly,” Brienne said. 

They weren’t at the furthest point North, but no one really went. Winterfell had been home for a year and a half. She had been waved through most tunnel ports for her runs. The gates had never really been closed. The threat level to the North had died down substantially after the regime change of the Agency. 

“How long has it been since the death of Renly Baratheon?” 

Brienne expected the question, but it never got easier. They always wanted to ask her about it because she had been the last person to see him alive. They had been working on a mission and he was just dead. 

“Seven years now,” Brienne said. 

She did what she could not to correct the girl. He didn’t just die. He was murdered. A sniper shot from a roof took him out. A shot straight through his heart. 

Brienne looked to Podrick who was standing straight and avoiding her gaze. He knew the story of Renly. Why she wasn’t looking at her now - she shook her head. 

They were friends. Long hours would be spent on missions with Casterly. Intelligence gatherings, data dumps, all of it. They did it all together and now he was a ghost. Despite the fact that he physically stood in front of her. 

“You have all of this information in my employee data file,” Brienne said. “Why are you asking me these questions now?” 

The pair said nothing. Meera stood and let Podrick take her seat while she stood. 

“Why am I here, Podrick?” 

“You are being honored, my Lady,” Podrick said. “We have been tasked to ensure your readiness for command.” 

“Command of what?” Brienne said. “Not Casterly?” 

That belonged to Tyrion. Rightfully so. 

“No,” Podrick said. “You are slated to become head of the Interrogation Branches out of the Red Keep.” 

“On whose orders?” 

“Who do you think?” 

Brienne sighed and rubbed her forehead. The issue with her relationship with the Starks is that everyone had their own way of communication. Arya was always blunt and to the point. Bran spoke in riddles. Sansa was quiet and logical. 

Brienne stood, causing Podrick to do the same. “And what exactly do they want to know of me? When they have known me for years?” 

“They want to know,” Podrick began, his tone changing. “If you can handle it.” 

“And what makes them think I can’t?” 

When Podrick said nothing, he gave her a look, much like one a year ago now, causing her to pause. She knew what they meant. They knew why she left. Why she wasn’t planning on returning. She would have much rather gone back to Winterfell and stayed there.

“Am I expected to stay?” Brienne asked. 

“The team would like an answer by the end of the day,” Podrick said, causing Brienne to nod. 

She left. Her feet took her down the familiar path to the elevators and as she stood alone in the gold box, it deposited her on the first floor. 

She crossed the large room that had the grand columns circling it. She nearly made it to the door when she felt something grab a hold of her wrist and spin her around. She gasped, her heart was in her throat, pounding. 

“That’s why they wanted you here,” Podrick said. “You’re having a panic attack.” 

“No, I’m not.” She never lied to him and she felt like she was now. 

King’s Landing and the Red Keep Headquarters brought back memories she really didn’t want to dive into. Not far into anyway. She always had amicable relationships with people, but no one ever believed that she could do the work. She always put the time and effort into it, but that didn’t matter. It was how it was done - dirty and cutthroat - that mattered. 

It was because she was a woman. That was and always will be her issue. At least the issue they had with her. 

“We can go this way,” Podrick said gently taking her arm. “The sun is this way.” 

He took her out onto one of the many balconies. She rested her hands on the concrete in front of her and leaned over the wall. She gasped at the air, her heart calming itself on its own. SHe listened to the waves crash, reminding her of Tarth. She listened to the birds sing above her. 

“You have to tell me what happened,” Podrick said. “It’s the only way I can help you.” 

“You know what happened, Pod,” Brienne said. “You know what happened.” 

“I want you to tell me,” he said, a little forceful. “You’re already the head of the Bureau, it doesn’t matter what you tell me.” 

She glared at him. Her morning was gone because he wanted to be a pain in the ass and hauled her in there. She was going to strangle him. Or take him out at the knees and he knew it. 

“It began with Alliser,” Brienne said. “The kid from the Bay.” 

“He died right?” 

“They all do,” Brienne said, quietly. “Alliser first. Then the fight between the Bureaus and we got fucked.” 

Podrick grinned. He wasn’t used to her curse and she wasn’t used to doing it. 

Brienne leaned back and tilted her head up, letting the sun warm her face. She swore once upon a time she wasn’t going to miss it. That being in a bunker, underground, or at Winterfell in the cold was much more preferred. 

“Why won’t you tell them any of this?” 

“Because it’s all in the files Pod,” Brienne said, shaking her head. “They just won’t read it. If they know something is in the file and I say the wrong thing, then they know it’s over. Every opportunity I have will send me back.” 

“Isn’t that what you want?” 

“No,” Brienne said, honestly. “I want to be the Head of the Interrogation Branches.” 

“Then that’s what you’ll be,” Podrick said with a gentle hand to her shoulder. 

Brienne smiled. 

Then that’s what you’ll be. Words she heard in a different voice, mixing in with the wind.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is my NanoWriMo contribution for the year. 
> 
> Let me know what you think about this AU.


End file.
